Abita Springs man gets 40 years for raping juvenile

An Abita Springs man pleaded guilty in St. Tammany Parish to charges of forcible rape, sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile and received a 40-year prison sentence, authorities said. State District Judge Raymond Childress sentenced James R. Day, 53, to 40 years after Day pleaded guilty Monday at the St. Tammany Parish Courthouse in Covington, according to a news...

An Abita Springs man pleaded guilty in St. Tammany Parish to charges of forcible rape, sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile and received a 40-year prison sentence, authorities said.

State District Judge Raymond Childress sentenced James R. Day, 53, to 40 years after Day pleaded guilty Monday at the St. Tammany Parish Courthouse in Covington, according to a news release from the office of St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter Reed.

Day was arrested in February 2012 and accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl. The victims' mother learned of the abuse and alerted police, the District Attorney's office said.

Day was initially charged with aggravated rape before pleading guilty to forcible rape, according to the news release. The victim's family was present in court to observe Day plead guilty, the news release said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nick Noriea, Jr.